People can often be inspired to be resourceful in desperate situations.
Gao Shi was a flexible-minded person, but after being forced by Li Kuo, he actually came up with a way to get the best of both worlds.
"That's not what you say." Gao Shi sighed and said, "Qilang, what do you think of this? I will ensure the safety of the old lady and others. You should also put down the sword in your hands first and sit down and have a good talk. This is what I think. , His Majesty just suspected that you were disobedient, so he sent Mr. Wei to monitor. But I know that you will never rebel, so I am willing to write a memorial to vouch for you and ask the court not to Take away your military powers."
After hearing this, Li Kuo only said: "What concessions does Li need to make?"
Gao Shi said: "Actually, it's just a gesture. Since you, Qilang, are unwilling to hand over your military power, if you want to show some sincerity, you might as well return Tangzhou, Nanyang and other prefectures and counties to the imperial court."
Boom!
Li Kuo felt his head buzzing, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
What a sinister thought. As long as I hand over Nanyang, Tangzhou and other places that I have worked hard for many years, even if I hold 10,000 cavalry in my hands, they will become homeless dogs. Now that the imperial court and the rebels are at war, they naturally have no time to deal with themselves, but what about when the rebellion is put down? Now that the rebels have been defeated again and again, they will no longer be able to defend Yecheng. If the rebels were defeated, the wise and mighty emperor in the Daming Palace wearing a nine-patterned dragon robe would probably break the agreement with himself and order the whole world to arrest him.
Oh, don¡¯t you forget that your majesty never made a promise from beginning to end, only Gao Shi made the promise.
Haha, hahaha
Li Kuo felt like a sharp knife had been pressed against his heart, and he was in a dilemma.
Although Wei Lin was slightly dissatisfied with Gao Shi's suggestion, he did not show it. After all, his life is now in Li Kuo's hands. Li Kuo only needs to move his fingers, and his head will be chopped off by Wang Xiaochun without hesitation. Although he performed extremely strongly, that was because he had enough capital to challenge Li Kuo. But everything has a degree. If you exceed this degree, you may lose more than you gain.
Wei Lin is not pedantic, so naturally he will not do such things as foolish loyalty.
Your life is your own, why would you risk your life for a false reputation?
"Wei has no objection to this! However, General Li must ensure that he restrains his soldiers and does not offend the people along the way!"
After thinking about it, Wei Lin took a deep breath and expressed his opinion.
Li Kuo shook his head and said: "Uncle Gao, I need a promise!"
Wei Lin was confused: "Promise? Gao Jiedu has already given you a promise. What more promise do you want?"
Li Kuo said lightly: "It's not enough. I need official ultimatums along the way. I also need Uncle Gao to provide 20,000 war horses to provide the entire army with four months of rations. Of course, each brother must be equipped with a horizontal knife and a sword." A long pole, a wooden shield, a hard bow with two stones, and three pots of feathered arrows."
Li Kuo spoke out his request in one breath, and Wei Lin was so shocked that he shouted: "Why do you want so many weapons?"
"Master Wei, don't worry about it. Now that Li can't return to Tangzhou, of course he has to pave his way back. Is it possible that Master Wei wants to see Mr. Li forced to join the rebels?"
Li Kuo was not afraid at all, and pushed Wei Lin back with just one word. Wei Lin was so angry that his chest rose and fell sharply, but he could not say a word against Li Kuo.
"And I want to take them away now. As for what Uncle Gao said about reporting to the court, you can take away the boundaries of Tangzhou and Nanyang. However, I emphasize again that I will not stay in Yangzhou to wait for the imperial decree. Come down, I¡¯m leaving now.¡±
"This" Gao Shi looked at Wei Lin in embarrassment. Seeing that Wei Lin closed his eyes and said nothing, Gao Shi knew that he wanted to put all the responsibility on himself. If the time came to investigate, he would push himself out as the scapegoat. However, this plan was proposed by myself, so naturally I need to bear the responsibility! Gao Shi just sighed and said, "I promise you!"
Li Kuo let out a long sigh of relief, and relaxed his hand reaching for the scabbard. What he wanted was Gao Shi's words. In fact, although Nanyang, Tangzhou and other places are important to him, they are not inseparable. After all, there is no danger to defend these two places. It is okay to face the harassment of a small group of wandering sentries, but it is impossible to last long when encountering the harassment of the imperial court.
Making such a deal with Tang Ting may be the most beneficial to you.
"What I want needs to be prepared within one day. In addition, Uncle Gao had better ask the foot soldiers outside the house to retreat. I don't want to accidentally hurt the brothers and let some people gossip." Li Kuo glanced disdainfully. Wei Lin, who was beside him, added lightly.
"It's easy to talk about. These things are easy to talk about." Gao ?Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he said solemnly: "I will ask someone to send it to the old lady immediately. However, I have to calculate how much food and fodder ten thousand cavalry will need for four months. I will definitely prepare it to be sent to the military camp later."
"In that case, Li would like to thank you!" Li Kuo hugged Gao Shi and walked away.
"There is a sentence in this kit that I have given you. When you arrive in Shule, you can open it and read it!"
"The person who wants to harm you is none other than Ge Shuhan! I advise you to go west after leaving Yumen Pass and don't look back!"
"The most unpredictable thing in this world is the human heart. In the imperial court, the powerful people never use knives to kill people. Don't make any enemies with the powerful people during this trip to Shule!"
In the military camp in the south of the city, Li Kuo sat alone on the soft couch, recalling what Gao Shi had said to him, and felt a sigh of relief.
Why, why did Uncle Gao, who once defended himself even though he offended his brother Shu Han, become the Jianghuai Jiedushi who only had power, position and interests in his eyes? Why did the heroic sword-wielding Gaofu become so resigned to compromise today?
"Why is all this happening? Why did Uncle Gao, who had so painstakingly warned me to keep secrets from people's hearts, turn out to be a sycophant who plotted against me?"
"After finishing the floating clouds, he gracefully went out to join the army. With the anger of the emperor, he relied on the generals again. Thousands of drums thundered on the ground, and thousands of flags made the wind. The sun was stationed in the frost, and the moon hung with carved bows. The Qinghai formation was clouded, and the Black Mountain soldiers Angry. The battle is too intense and too white. After the battle, the head is empty. You will not hesitate to die for thousands of miles, but you will succeed in one day. Draw a picture of Qilin Pavilion and enter the Mingguang Palace." (Note 1)
The free and easy-going Gao Dafu and the heroic and relieved Secretary Gao gradually drifted away from him. They were replaced by the powerful Jiedu Envoy, a prominent minister wearing a purple robe and a goldfish bag.
It turns out that Guilty is right, people really do change.
Note 1: This poem is "Song Xiaqu" written by Gao Shi.